


Chain Reaction

by CancerianWastelandCat



Series: [ VENOM ] [9]
Category: the GazettE (Band)
Genre: AU History, AU explanation, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Fantasy, Hybrids, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Royalty, Sci-Fi AU, Social Commentary, Vampires, kind of? side eyes Ruki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CancerianWastelandCat/pseuds/CancerianWastelandCat
Summary: While he doesn't exactly (want to) get along with his new advisor, Kouyou at least discovers Yuu's apparent passion for getting him flustered.
Relationships: Aoi/Uruha (the GazettE)
Series: [ VENOM ] [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/884037
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	Chain Reaction

**Author's Note:**

> I know. I know, and I'm sorry. I'm not sure if anybody's still reading this (or fics in general? lol) but if you do, thank you so much! I hope you'll enjoy. We have a scene set in the apartment again, so remember you can click the link in the series' description to find out how I imagined that place looking. Have fun wandering through!

Kouyou wasn’t allowed to attend the funeral. Not as part of the royal family at least. 

The queen’s sudden death had put a stop to everything. Classes were cancelled, restaurants, bars, cinemas closed; any and all preparations already underway for his initiation were halted. A two-week postponement made way for the organization of a nationwide mourning ceremony.

In a way, Kouyou was glad about having more time. For one, it finally granted him the possibility to let his father in on everything that had happened, albeit that would have to wait until after the funeral. It felt wrong to leave Yuu alone before they had entirely gotten through it. Second of all, it meant he had two weeks to prepare himself mentally for what awaited him. From what he’d gathered from Suzuki’s book, initiation ceremonies were kind of a big deal in royal circles after all; even more so when they took place within the upper echelon. Not that Kouyou was part of that— Yuu was, and the concomitant pressure of that alone required some time to be processed. 

The day of the funeral, a somber mood had fallen upon the academy. Kouyou’s steps had echoed throughout the empty corridors louder than he had ever heard them. Part of him wanted to turn on his heels and flee back to their apartment where he could watch the TV broadcast by himself. The bigger, more reasonable part had come to the conclusion it would probably be somewhat expected of him to show his face for an event as publically relevant as this. Regardless of whether that conclusion was right or not, he didn’t want to risk anything.

A large, speechless mass of black-clad students and professors alike had inhabited the main auditorium, the very few words spoken between them hushed still; tucked away behind palms. Upon passing two of his classmates, who he hadn’t seen since moving in with Yuu a couple days ago, Kouyou had tried to initiate a conversation. It’d been a rather meek attempt to conjure up some sense of familiarity but they had given him nothing to work with. That was, nothing but a self-conscious mixture of a nod and a bow they weren’t quite sure he deserved yet, before scurrying off to find their seats. Kouyou had stood at the back of the hall, and his guts had churned. 

Many eyes had found him throughout the broadcast of the ceremony; skeptic eyes, reverent eyes, terrified eyes. Their questions had collided with his shoulder blades the very moment Yuu had appeared on-screen.

_ That’s him, isn’t it? _

_ Was he there when...? _

_ Poor thing, does he know what he’s gotten himself into? _

_ Does he know anything? _

Obviously none of them mustered the courage to actually approach and ask him. Staring was infinitely easier and Kouyou was glad about it at the moment. Yuu’s speech had made him emotional; had made him go through every single moment since the messenger had burst into Suzuki’s office. He couldn’t help but notice the difference in the prince’s appearance either. The soft-spoken, vulnerable, thoughtful man he had discovered in the greenhouse had vanished entirely and only those who cared to look close enough could recognize the grief hidden away in his eyes. Perhaps his father had lectured him, Kouyou wondered, ordered him to show no weakness in front of his people. It didn’t seem too far off considering the king himself didn’t appear as anguished as one would have expected, but Kouyou detested the mere thought—and the man.

On his way out of the auditorium, fleeing from the glances and the whispers, a voice completely unbeknownst to him politely called out his surname. He turned, coming face to face with a man who didn’t look at all like academy staff. His long robe, swooshing around his ankles as he came to an elegant stop in front of Kouyou, was the color of lime. Precisely trimmed stripes of dark grey fabric stretched across his chest and gold buttons held the robe neatly closed all the way up to his throat. A little medallion dangled from the collar.

“Yes?” Kouyou said, his eyes scanning the people walking past them. They were staring even more now, if that was even possible. This man stood in no relationship to the academy, did he? Nobody here dressed this way. 

“My name is Kai. I am a member of the Royal Brain Trust and have been appointed your personal advisor,” he began, hiding his beringed hands in the large sleeves of his robe before he bowed to Kouyou.  _ Oh great. _

“But first I would like to apologize for approaching you at such an arduous time.”

_ Personal advisor?  _ What did Kouyou need an advisor for? This made no sense. Though the way this guy spoke and how stock-still he kept his back was but a sour confirmation, rising at the back of Kouyou’s mind. This man had been sent here from court. Was this possibly how Yuu’s father intended to keep an eye on him? Sending a watchdog mere days after his wife had passed sounded like something the man Kouyou had encountered would do.

He lifted an eyebrow. 

“You can always  _ not  _ approach me.”

Kai lifted his head, his lips barely curled into the hint of a smile. If he was in any shape or form amused, he had a very subtle way of showing it. Then again, did anybody at court really have any humour? 

“I’m really sorry,” he repeated his apology (but did not bow again). “Nonetheless, I was ordered to introduce myself as soon as possible so I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you for some of your time.”

For a moment, Kouyou stared at him; not knowing how to respond. The man didn’t  _ look _ like he was sorry, which—in all honesty—was no surprise. No doubt the only reason he was being so polite was because it was part of his job description. Kouyou knew people like him. He had been facing them since his first day at the academy. They tried their best to make him feel included, he supposed, yet their distant behaviour and brassy attitude would always give away how they truly felt towards him.

He wasn’t going to give up though, that much Kouyou knew. That, and if he really was to take the position of his “advisor”, Kouyou would have to put up with him for a lot longer anyway. 

“Fine,” he huffed and turned to leave. He fully expected the guy to follow, and he did. Except for the echo of footsteps and the always-present whispering that followed him wherever he went, Kouyou heard nothing from him for at least two minutes. He was glad about it, he didn’t feel like talking. For the duration of those two minutes, Kouyou even hoped that perhaps Kai would pick up on his reluctance (if his scowl wasn’t indicator enough) but of course that wasn’t going to happen. He spoke up once they had turned into the private corridors, the walls lined by RPS soldiers. 

“I would like to let you know,” he began in a solemn voice, “that there is nothing you have to hesitate about when there are things you’d like to ask me. From today on, my sole responsibility is to make the transition into your new life as easy as possible. His Majesty only has your best interest in mind and we all know that the current situation has been very difficult for you- ”    
  
“I find it interesting that everybody has been saying that.” 

Kouyou’s feet had come to an abrupt stop when the words left him, as if the irony of Kai’s statement had hit him like a brick. He rounded on the man behind him, and his voice dripped with sarcasm. 

“ _ We know how difficult it is for you,”  _ he mocked, “yeah, I’m sure you do. I’m sure that  _ you _ especially empathize with me, since you know so much about me and my life and what it’s been like. Do you even- ”

His hands fell down to his sides. The man’s expression was unreadable. 

“Do you even know how old I am? For a start.” 

“You’re twenty-two.” 

“And where do I come from? Where did I grow up? What about my family?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t been informed on everything yet.” 

_ “Oh really?” _

Kouyou scoffed. His chest was tight with anger, so much so that simply taking a breath made it feel like it weighed ten pounds. Of course Kai didn’t know. Of course he didn’t know what he had gone through all these years; that being as close to the threshold of admittance as Kouyou was wasn’t exactly the nicest of prospects for his studies. Kouyou doubted the guy even knew anything about what had happened the day of the Queen’s death. After all, the King had made it more than clear that his son’s “weakness” was to be kept a secret. 

_ Personal advisor my ass. _

“You know what, I would appreciate it if we could postpone this whole getting-to-know-each-other,” Kouyou said, brushing a hand through his hair. At the end of the hallway, sun rays were coming in through the tall windows, dancing across the golden elevator doors.

“I really don’t feel like doing this today. I’m going to go see my father this weekend because I haven’t visited him since the semester started. But if you or whoever appointed you to me really cared about me, you’d probably know that already.”

“You’re leaving the Academy?”

For the first time, Kai’s face morphed into something akin to an expression. His shoulders straightened attentively, as if he hadn’t properly listened to Kouyou until now, and his eyes held a suspicious gaze in them. In turn, Kouyou’s narrowed.

“Yes,” he snapped and resumed his walking. The elevator drew him in like a magnet. Yuu hadn’t returned just yet, but the solace of their apartment seemed like paradise to him right now. 

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“Of course not. But as your advisor, it is my duty to tell you that this might not be the best decision at the moment. Seeing how you’re part of the royal family now, it would be- “

“ _ Excuse me?” _

Kouyou was five steps away from the elevator when he cut through Kai’s words again. The anger came back with full force, and stronger. This man  _ was not _ about to prohibit him from seeing his own father.

_ “Listen,” _ he barked, shoving his finger into Kai’s face, at which Kai recoiled the slightest bit. 

“I could not care less about what you think of my decisions. You know nothing about me. My soulmate’s mother  _ is dead.” _

Kouyou grit his teeth hard. The words alone drowned him in dread. __

“I was not  _ part-of-the-royal-family _ enough to be allowed to stand up there with him while he had to grieve in front of thousands of people, so I am  _ definitely _ -” he sucked air into his lungs, “-not  _ part-of-the-royal-family _ enough for you to have to give a damn about how I choose to spend my free time. Got it?”

Kai didn’t hesitate. He licked his lips, taking a proper step back before lowering his head. Kouyou’s brows twitched.

“Of course. Please excuse the inappropriateness of my behavior,” Kai apologized and he actually did sound sorry this time; sorry enough to have instant regret rise up inside Kouyou. He scrutinized the top of Kai’s head (there were thin blond highlights mixed in-between his dark brown hair) before huffing a breath after several seconds.

“Whatever. Let’s do this next week.” 

Whatever pleasantry Kai would have given in response to that, Kouyou didn’t grant him the possibility to actually speak it. Or maybe he did speak it and Kouyou simply didn’t hear, having turned his back on his advisor before his phrase had even been finished. 

The soldiers in front of the golden doors, rigid like statues as usual, stepped aside as he approached. He called the elevator and stepped in without so much as one more glance in Kai’s direction.

* * *

The door fell close behind him just a second after he slouched his body into the couch. He had yearned for the silence earlier but now that he was sitting in it, it wasn’t quite as soothing as he’d hoped. Now it was just … deafeningly quiet. Kouyou’s head fell back and he closed his eyes in an attempt to order his thoughts. 

He had an advisor now. The advisor was going to… well, advise him. Answer questions and so on. Kouyou still couldn’t quite see the necessity of it, other than the King spying on him. Challenging the man’s decision, however, posed danger he didn’t want to risk getting himself into. At least that much he knew. And maybe it wasn’t even that big of a deal. Maybe he  _ was _ going to have questions, sometime down the road, that were too embarrassing to ask Yuu or Suzuki, or even Takanori for that matter.

Speaking of Takanori— maybe he was going to be able to help with a particular question that Kouyou was quite sure he couldn’t (or shouldn’t) be asking Kai. Admittedly, he wasn’t sure if he  _ wanted _ to know the truth about his purity level, but he did know that it was going to be haunting him  _ until _ he knew. So he fished for his phone and opened Takanori’s chat. Better to get it out of the way now. 

**Kouyou** 3:05pm  
_ Hey Taka, do you have a minute? _

**Taka** 3:08pm  
_ I do, are you okay? _

He smiled. Of course Takanori was going to be concerned about him. It had only been three days, but Yuu’s bite had already begun to heal. Now how to explain what his actual goal was, that was a different matter.

**Kouyou** 3:11pm  
_ I’m alright, there’s just… I have a bit of a complicated question _

**Taka** 3:14pm  
_ Go ahead _

Kouyou’s fingers hovered above his phone screen, waiting. He had no reason to hesitate, he knew that, yet the implications of finding out the truth had his teeth nagging into his bottom lip. Most likely it would be best not to beat around the bush for too long, right? He groaned. 

**Kouyou** 3:21pm   
_ Do you know my PL? _

Takanori’s reply took long enough to make him giddy. 

**Taka** 3:27pm   
_ I would assume it’s above 50, but other than that.. No, I don’t. Why are you asking? _

He blinked at it for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief. At least that meant Takanori hadn’t been aware of his… overscoring of the maximum gap all along. Kouyou quickly licked his lips. 

**Kouyou** 3:34pm  
_ Do you think you could test it again? I want to make sure of something _

This time around, the answer came so fast it was almost as if Takanori had had it ready to go.

**Taka** 3:34pm   
_ Absolutely not _

He must have noticed how harsh the message sounded— a second one arrived directly after, but Kouyou had to keep himself from rolling his eyes too hard.

**Taka** 3:34pm  
_ I’m not a court physician, I don’t have authorization to treat you anymore. Why do you even want to know? It’s on your birth certificate.  _

**Kouyou** 3:36pm  
_ Well and I’m not a member of court!! Not yet anyway. Please Taka _

**Kouyou** 3:36pm  
_ Do me the favor _

**Taka** 3:42pm  
_ I’m sorry, Kou _

“Ugh, why do you have to be so stubborn!” 

Kouyou hurled his phone onto the couch and jumped up on his feet. He roughed his hands through his hair, gnawing on his lip. That Kai had already grouped him in with the royal household might have been expected but that Takanori did it as well was just… frustrating. Why did the initiation ceremony seem like such a big deal when they disregarded its meaning anyway? It wasn’t even going to happen until in another two weeks! 

No, he wasn’t going to stand for that. He grit his teeth, snatched his phone up from the cushions it had landed on and let his fingers fly across the screen.

**Kouyou** 3:46pm  
_ Taka, look. I’m scared shitless that there’s something wrong with me so I REALLY need your help right now.  _

**Kouyou** 3:47pm  
_ A couple of days ago Professor Suzuki lent me a book to read up on some Eternal things I was interested in. But while I was flipping through it I found a passage about the PL gap between an Eternal and their Ateor and that it can be 45 max. And.. I’m a 50.3, Taka. I barely made it into the academy to begin with _

**Kouyou** 3:48pm   
_ Now I’m pretty sure you know Yuu’s level at least so I’m going to let you do the math yourself. Do you get why I’m freaking out a little?? I should be dead, shouldn’t I? But I’m not!! And I don’t know if it’s possible that that test they do right after birth could come back wrong but I just want to be SURE _

**Kouyou** 3:49pm  
_ PLEASE. I can’t just bring this up to him now after what he’s been through. I can’t.  _

His breathing was slightly heavier than usual by the time the wall of text was sent. He read it over repeatedly, and with every read the lump in his throat grew bigger. He forced himself to swallow past it. Of course it was going to be a risk for Takanori, he was aware of that. If he said that he didn’t have the authorization anymore, Kouyou believed him and of course it wasn’t his intention to get his friend in trouble. But it wasn’t like anybody had to find out. 

Ten nerve-wrecking minutes passed until the little speech bubble indicating that Takanori was typing popped up in their chat window. It kept vanishing and reappearing several times; long enough for all the worst fears to begin running rampant in Kouyou’s mind. Takanori was shocked, wasn’t he? At how they had missed a mistake as big as this. Any minute now he was going to tell Kouyou that he was right: something had gone horribly wrong and they needed to report it. And Yuu… Kouyou felt his hands starting to tremble. Yuu wasn’t going to be able to hold his promise after all, was he? 

He winced when his phone finally vibrated. 

**Taka** 4:11pm  
_ I’m very sure testing it again won't change anything but come down to my office anyway. I think there’s a pretty simple solution here. _

Kouyou’s eyes widened. What?

**Taka** 4:11pm  
_ And you better fucking delete this message!!  _

A laugh bubbled out of him before he could control it. No way Takanori had already figured out what had apparently taken him days to realize? Although… no, he definitely didn't put that past Takanori at all. The weight on Kouyou’s chest seemed to lift in a surge of hope.

**Kouyou** 4:12pm  
_ YES  _

**Kouyou** 4:12pm  
_ THANK YOU _

**Kouyou** 4:12pm  
_ I will, I’m on my way! _

He deleted their last texts and darted into the bathroom.

* * *

The academy clinic Takanori worked at was located on the other side of campus. Kouyou crossed it with determined steps, passing the little kiosk he always bought his favorite gum at; it was closed of course. The corridor connecting the chemistry building with the clinic was equally void of people, most of them retreating to their homes after the mourning ceremony. 

Kouyou buried his hands deep into the pockets of his hoodie as he descended the stairs towards the offices. He had changed into more comfortable clothes before making his way here, seeing how the uniforms he had been given were incredibly stiff compared to what the students usually wore. Why was that and how on earth did Yuu manage to spend most of his time in them? Perhaps that was a question for his new advisor.

For the first time since word of his poisoning had gotten around, there were no eyes following him and no glances burning holes in his back. It felt a little as if the air around him had gotten easier to breathe. His feet confidently led him to the familiar white doors, the sensor next to them giving a low  _ beep _ as he held his student card against it and they slid open. Office after office stretched along the milky glass walls but Kouyou knew by heart which room Takanori was going to be working in. 

He knocked twice and was called inside straight away. The interior was familiar. For merely a second, something in Kouyou’s stomach convulsed at the memory. Two weeks ago (on the day) he had been sitting on this stretcher after Yuu had poisoned him. Only two weeks… 

“Wow, you do look stressed.” 

To say Takanori was examining him was an understatement. He had turned around on the stool he was sitting on, several microscopes lined up next to him on the worktop that took up the entire left wall. His eyes were hardly hiding his confusion. Kouyou took a deep breath and closed the door behind him.

“How was the ceremony?”

“The broadcast of the ceremony, you mean,” he corrected. “And it was depressing. People kept staring at me as if I had something to do with- Whatever. I got through it. The reason I look stressed is my new  _ personal advisor _ ,” Kouyou described quotation marks with his fingers as he plonked down on the chair opposite Takanori, whose eyebrows shot up, “who thought it was appropriate to bombard me with information the second I stepped foot out of the auditorium.” 

Takanori chuckled at the sarcasm in his voice. He got up and began to rummage through one of the cabinets above the worktop. 

“Really, and what did you tell him?”

Kouyou scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“I told him that my soulmate’s mother just died and that I had better things to do than getting to know him.” 

Now it wasn’t just a chuckle; Takanori was laughing out loud, closing a drawer and opening another. 

“Yeah, I can absolutely hear you say that,” he said. “I bet he was one of those terribly starchy ones and  _ not _ amused.”

As he turned around, Kouyou finally recognized what it was Takanori had gathered: a syringe, a needle and a glass vial filled with a bright blue liquid. He swallowed and tensed. So they  _ were _ going to test him again? Shifting nervously, his eyes followed Takanori’s every move. 

“And is that really the term you used? Soulmate?” Takanori asked while he sat back down, assembled the syringe and motioned Kouyou to come closer. Kouyou frowned at the question, scraping his chair across the floor. 

“Yeah? I always figured it … fit the best. Is it wrong?”

“No no, it’s not wrong. It’s fine if you want to use it. ‘Xa’araeth’ is what you would call him if you wanted to go for the official counterpart of ‘Ateor’ but we barely use that term nowadays anyway.”

“Wow, probably because it’s quite the mouthful.”

They laughed in unison and Takanori nodded with an acknowledging wiggle of his eyebrows. 

“I’ll give you that one,” he snickered, though there was a sudden touch of bitterness to his features that Kouyou couldn’t help but notice.

“I’d say look it up in that book of yours but unfortunately the scholars who wrote those types of books rarely bothered to explain the way of things from the point of view of the… lesser pure of the two,” he cleared his throat, “speaking of the book-” 

“I’m really sorry that I dumped all of that on you so suddenly, Taka,” Kouyou interrupted, gesticulating aimlessly. “I just… I panicked a little when I read that. Maybe it’s because of what you said about my feelings being all jumbled but… the thought that I wouldn’t get to be with him after all…”

He shrugged. “You were the only one I thought I could ask.”

Takanori sighed and put the syringe aside again. For a moment Kouyou was afraid he had changed his mind, but it turned out Takanori only reached for his arm (the healthy one) and began rolling up his sleeve.

“Nobody’s going to take him away from you, I can assure you that. And I don’t blame you for your reaction either, I probably would’ve thought something was wrong with me too. The book though, is it one of those with lots of embellishments on it, gold and red and historiated initials?”

Kouyou narrowed his eyes at him.

“How the hell do you know that?”

As if annoyed at the fact he even had to explain it, Takanori rolled his eyes. Was this solution he had mentioned earlier  _ that _ obvious? After he’d retrieved a cotton pad and disinfectant from a drawer on his left, he soaked the cotton in it and dabbed it across the skin just below the crook of Kouyou’s arm. 

“Because I know Suzuki. The man collects ancient cyclopedias how other people collect stamps, Kou. So these books are...  _ incredibly _ old. And by ‘old’ I mean ‘old even for my standards’, not yours. Whoever wrote the one you got might have just written about the gap because he personally never met a couple that was further apart than forty-five. Perhaps they’re rare, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist at all. The same books also say it’s a crime to keep someone from their destined partner, yet our monarchy does it all the damn time to preserve their bloodline. I’m sure Suzuki meant well but I wouldn’t trust- I wouldn’t trust any of the numbers written in there unless they’re stated alongside a proper source. The fact of the matter is that you  _ would long _ be dead if you weren’t meant to be with the prince. That is not dependent on any number and your balance is  _ irrefutably  _ perfect. Nevertheless...”

Kouyou's mind was reeling by the time Takanori paused.  _ That was it? _ Of course he had thought of that himself! Pretending that the stupid book was simply too old to be accurate was exactly what he had done ever since he’d read it. But he had really just been clinging to the hope itself, so actually having it confirmed by somebody who knew what they were talking about finally allowed for real relief to wash over him. Kouyou closed his eyes briefly to revel in it. He  _ wasn’t  _ going to lose Yuu after all. 

When he opened his eyes again, the look in Takanori’s as he met them was dead serious. He was reaching out for Kouyou’s arm again, now holding up the syringe with the other hand.

“I’m going to do this for you anyway,” he spoke, “because you’re my friend and I can tell it would reassure you. But unlike the bite wound, this is not an emergency so my licence can  _ and will _ be revoked if word about this gets out.  _ No one _ can find out, do you understand?”

The warning in his voice was as clear as the daylight coming in through the window panes above his desk. Kouyou cleared his throat and shifted around again, nodding determinedly. He welcomed the idea of no one figuring out that there had been any doubt in the first place. Actually, he didn’t want to be doubted at all anymore. So if anything, the reassurance that his PL was still the same and _it was fine_ that way was going to be a boost to his confidence.

After Takanori had given a nod of his own, he finally started the procedure. Locating the vein went fairly quickly and the injection itself barely resembled the poke of a fir needle. 

It was nothing compared to how the wound on Kouyou’s other arm had occurred, that much was sure. The bite had begun to heal well in the past couple of days, yet the memory of the incident itself sent an uncomfortable shudder down Kouyou’s back. At least—and he noticed this with curiosity as Takanori worked in silence—his gag reflex no longer jumped into action at the sight and smell of his own blood. Takanori drew out an entire barrel of it before removing the syringe and the needle, exchanging it with a fresh one which he then poked through the thin lid of the glass vial. The blue liquid inside it swirled into purple as it mixed with the blood. They would have to wait for it ‘to react’, he explained, and that the chemicals would ‘separate’ the vampire DNA from everything else (which, as Kouyou had already learned, was a mixture of  _ a lot _ of things). Kouyou found it quite interesting, even if chemics weren’t exactly his strong suit. 

Takanori proceeded to place the vial on the worktop and turned towards Kouyou’s bite wound instead. His phone began to ring from somewhere in the pockets of his white coat, though he ignored it; cautiously removing the gauze and cleaning the edge of the bite marks with a solution. Kouyou didn’t think too much of it at first, until the sound rang out again a few minutes later, when the gauze had been replaced and Takanori was by the bin throwing the old, bloodied one away. 

In what seemed like an incredibly abrupt onslaught of anger, Takanori yanked his phone out of his pocket and gave it a single look before his thumb rudely rejected the call and flung the device half across the room onto his desk. Kouyou’s eyes widened comically. 

“Whoa. Trouble in paradise?”

Takanori’s expression had spoken volumes. It wasn’t exactly difficult to read for Kouyou, considering he’d known for a while that Takanori and his boyfriend were going through a rough patch. He watched as the gauze around his arm was closed tightly before Takanori turned away again. He planted his hands on either side of the blood solution, drumming his fingers on the worktop.

“It’s complicated,” he answered brusquely and Kouyou frowned at his back. He pulled the sleeves of his hoodie back down.

“Do you want to talk about it?”   
  
“No. I’ll only get angry.”

“Better than to keep it in. You’ll end up destroying your phone completely next time he calls.”

“Well, maybe he’ll  _ stop calling  _ then.”

Kouyou opened his mouth but decided to say nothing for a moment. He wasn’t one to force people into talking about their personal issues, but even with his instincts  _ off  _ he could tell Takanori was agitated just thinking about whatever it was he needed to get out. And he knew Kouyou was going to listen, because he always did. Besides, they weren’t exactly keeping secrets from each other anyway. The sense of expectation in Kouyou’s silence said more than enough—it only took a minute or two of it until Takanori hung his head with a sigh as heavy as if he had the world on his shoulders. 

“He’s … been having dreams. Spacing out a lot,” he muttered and turned, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. Kouyou bit his lip in discomfort. That … wasn’t boding well for them. He remembered how chaotic his own dreams had gotten months before he’d met Yuu.

“Is that why you’re pushing him away?” he asked softly, but Takanori immediately took to shaking his head rigorously. 

_ “No, _ I’m pushing him away because I hate how he keeps allowing us to fight about it. We both knew that our time was limited and that this was going to happen sooner or later. And I hate how this entire ‘soulmate’ crap is coming between us as if it changed anything about our feelings for each other. It hasn’t, and it never will. I hate how we’ve been fighting for weeks on end when all we  _ should _ be doing is enjoying the time we  _ do _ have together.”

This time, Kouyou actually hesitated on giving a reply. He hadn’t been aware that Takanori felt this… strongly about the matter. He couldn’t really blame him though, if he thought about it. Yearning for somebody knowing fate was going to bring you together once the time was right was one thing—loving someone and knowing fate was inevitably going to tear you apart, however… It was tragic. 

But clearly the prospects of their relationship hadn’t stopped them from pursuing each other. 

“I think you should just talk it out with him,” Kouyou suggested, fully aware that he wasn’t the most suitable person to give advice. “If anything you’ve told me about him so far is true, then this guy really loves you, Taka. He’s probably just as scared as you are and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t  _ want  _ to leave you.”

“He won’t have a choice once it comes down to it.”

“Don’t say that, you always have a choice.” 

Takanori’s head shot up. 

“No, Kouyou,” he snapped and Kouyou recoiled at the fury in his eyes, “you don't. You could have an entire life built with somebody and  _ still  _ one day someone else will come and snatch you away from everyone you love and you won't even be able to object because your  _ mind  _ and your  _ body _ tell you it’s the only right thing in the world.  _ You _ just got lucky because you already had feelings for him anyway and there’s nobody you have to leave behind for him either. You haven’t even  _ lived. _ ”

He blinked, swallowed. That had hit harder than he wanted to admit. It was true, he  _ hadn’t _ lived but that wasn’t exactly his  _ fault  _ now, was it?  _ None  _ of this was his fault, none of this was  _ anybody’s _ fault. No one could control fate. Kouyou stared down at his hands, not knowing what to say. Takanori … hated having to be with someone, didn’t he? He  _ despised  _ his own soulmate without even knowing them. Kouyou couldn’t even imagine- 

The thought itself ridiculed him for even thinking it and something began to seethe in the pit of his stomach. Of course he couldn’t imagine hating his soulmate. He was  _ in love with him _ after all. He had never known it any other way. Takanori was right. 

“I’m sorry,” he was relenting already, but Kouyou shook his head. The aftertaste of his friend’s words crept disgustingly sour at the back of his mouth. 

“Just get the test done, Taka, so I can get out of here and stop reminding you of everything you hate.”

“Kou, I did  _ not  _ mean for it to come across that way.” 

“Well, it did. Now, please.”

Kouyou stood up, threading his fingers through his hair before crossing his arms in front of his chest. The sunlight streaming into the room had become faint. It was already starting to get dark outside.

“I gotta get back,” he added, and Takanori sighed. He examined him for a moment longer but Kouyou’s expression had turned bitter. Kouyou knew it had but he couldn’t be bothered to change it. Takanori realized soon enough. Nodding to himself, he turned back around and proceeded to insert the glass vial containing the blood mixture into a machine that looked somewhat-but-not-quite like a mini fridge. A display at its front lit up once the door was closed. Takanori entered his commands and the machine instantly gave a whirring sound; something was clattering and moving around inside it. Kouyou found himself barely listening to the few short explanations Takanori threw in here and there. 

After around thirty seconds or so, numbers began to pop up on the screen. They jumped around wildly for a moment, ranging all the way from ten to a hundred before pausing at forty-three. Nothing happened for another second or so, but then they resumed. At a steady pace, they climbed all the way up to and then stopped entirely— at 50,3. A high, elongated  _ beeeep-beep _ indicated the end of the process. 

“See,” Takanori turned to him with a smile right away. “You’re all good. Nothing’s wrong at all.” 

Kouyou let out one long breath. Relief and frustration mingled in the tone of his voice. 

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I worried for nothing, I guess. But at least I got to find out sooner than later, so… thanks, Taka.”

Takanori assured him there was nothing he needed to thank him for but Kouyou could easily tell he was just trying to make up for the dampener he’d put on the mood. He didn’t stay much longer after that. There were other matters (official matters) Takanori had to tend to and Kouyou really did want to get back. 

The feeling of relief naturally overtook everything else on his way back to the royal tower. Sure, he’d kind of gotten offended at Takanori’s remarks but he was going to sleep over them and be fine. The most important thing was truly that… he was okay.  _ They _ were going to be okay. His legs couldn’t carry him fast enough— out of the clinic, across a now lantern-lit campus and up the golden elevator.

With every meter he put behind him, the lightness around his heart prospered; ultimately he was smiling by the time he pushed the door open— and stopped dead halfway into the apartment. 

Yuu had indeed come back while he’d been gone. And once more there was something … cold about him. Kouyou had recognized it during the broadcast already, but it was all the more palpable now. The prince had retreated again. He had buried himself again, hidden his vulnerability far away from the prying eyes of his people. Not from Kouyou’s though. He could see Yuu’s aura gently undulating around the edges of his body, like a shield. Still, it wasn’t  _ exactly  _ identical to when he had come up here the first time or even when Yuu’s shutdown had occurred; not as out-there and ready to attack. It was simply … quiet. Quietly aware of its surroundings, and in control. Eerily so. 

Kouyou swallowed down his uneasiness. The test confirmation at the back of his mind was giving him more confidence than he had expected but he gladly accepted every ounce of it. He would need it if he wanted to coax Yuu into being more open with him. What had happened between them in the greenhouse—albeit heartbreaking—was proof enough Yuu  _ was _ capable of showing his emotions after all. He just needed a little … push. 

“Hey.” 

The prince didn’t react at first when Kouyou stepped up next to him by the all-window wall. His eyes were trained beyond it; in his hand rested a glass of red liquid, held against his chest. Kouyou bit his lip. He didn’t concern himself with the very distinctive smell of it, instead letting his gaze wander outside just like Yuu’s to take in the city’s skyline to their feet: the streets empty, black flags flying half-mast atop every roof, large dark rain clouds beginning to billow at the horizon. It was depressing. 

Kouyou cleared his throat. Though it was more intuitively than on purpose, it seemed to rip Yuu from whatever thoughts he’d been submerged in. He flicked a strand of hair out of his forehead before turning towards Kouyou and giving him the faintest of smiles. Kouyou returned it all too eagerly. 

“Hi.” 

“I watched the broadcast,” he explained, lacing his fingers behind his back. Better they trembled than his voice. “And your speech… touched all of us deeply, I think. I found it very thoughtful, I- I liked it a lot.” 

Yuu huffed, almost amused.

“Thanks,” he said, “I didn’t write it myself.”

Then he downed his drink and turned his back on Kouyou without so much as a blink. And Kouyou stared after him, entirely taken aback by the bluntness.  _ Well, that went … well. _

Not that he had any justified reason to be surprised. Everything about Yuu screamed of the fact he wasn’t the man from three days ago anymore. The mask was back on, wasn’t it? Kouyou rubbed his fingertips against his palm while he watched Yuu go about at the liquor cabinet. It had to be. But this time around—starting  _ now _ —Kouyou would no longer let himself be intimidated by it. Not by the cold, nor the distance or the unfeelingness. He swallowed it all down; so when he began walking over and raised his voice once more, it was steady with confidence. 

“Yuu?”

“Hm?”

Sliding onto one of the bar chairs, Kouyou perched his arms atop the kitchen table. A newspaper lay spread out next to Yuu’s drink, very clearly announcing the Queen’s death in big bold letters. He ignored it and cleared his throat. 

“There’s something I want to ask you. I was … planning to go visit my dad over the weekend.” 

The look on Yuu’s face when he closed the fridge door was one of measured confusion. He’d retrieved what looked like a dark wine bottle, the cork of which he now popped off. 

“And?” he asked, pulling his glass closer and pouring a good amount of what was very clearly  _ not wine _ on top of the whiskey that was already in it. “You don't need my permission for that. Do as you please.” 

Kouyou snorted before he could stop himself and even the corners of Yuu’s lips threatened to twitch. He didn’t look up from the newspaper he was now focused on but Kouyou had  _ definitely _ seen that. 

“I’m not asking for permission,” he chuckled. “I just wanted to make sure you were … going to be okay. It’s only been three days since what happened, and I know how hard it hit you, so.” 

“So what you’re really asking is whether or not you can leave me alone with myself.” 

Of course he was going to just  _ say _ it like that. Now Kouyou was forced to admit that that was indeed what he had been intending to ask, albeit he hadn’t wanted to phrase it as … upfront. Unfortunately for both of them,  _ upfront  _ was exactly the type of man Yuu was and now Kouyou found himself pursing his lips at the knowing look he was given. He evaded it, staring down at his fingers drumming on the table. 

“Yeah… I guess so,” he grumbled. Now that it’d been put out there like this, it truly sounded like a stupid thing to worry about. It wasn’t like-

“I couldn’t kill myself even if I wanted to, Kouyou. You're aware of that, right?”

Right. Yuu took a sip from his bloody whiskey and Kouyou looked at him and nodded. 

“Yeah, sorry…”

And then he drifted off. It had taken no three seconds until his eyes caught on the barely visible film of red that had remained on Yuu’s lips and he found it weirdly fascinating all of a sudden. The wings of his nose flared without him noticing. Everything around Kouyou blurred. The smell of it was… tantalizing. Sweet and coppery and rich and  _ heavy  _ and— Irresistible almost, in spite of how thin of a layer it was. All he… All he needed to do was lean in and kiss it off. He gulped. It appeared so easy, so  _ right in front of him _ . Right there. 

Blood. 

It wasn’t going to be more than a peck. And if he was quick enough, not even the fangs hidden behind those lips would pose much of a threat. Yuu wasn’t even going to sense it coming. He would not sense a single  _ trace _ of Kouyou’s accelerated heartbeat. Kouyou was just really quickly going to get a taste. He had to, because if he didn’t… If he didn’t, he could feel inside himself something was going to crumble, was going to scream and revolt and  _ demand _ . It was tightening his chest already, sending flames licking up his throat. His breathing paused. He-

Yuu licked it off and turned a page of his newspaper. The abrupt loss of scent was a sledgehammer against Kouyou’s skull, knocking him out of his fixation with brute force. He squeezed his eyes shut. The alluring urge had gone. He blinked multiple times, shifting on his chair and straightening his back, peeking to his left and right as if to make sure nobody had witnessed. Now  _ that  _ had been … a feeling only vaguely familiar to him but in the most uncomfortable of ways. He shivered. Where had it  _ come  _ from? It floored him, yet his mind was unable to grasp  _ why _ . Kouyou blinked again, making sure to get rid of the fogginess in his head before he tried to return towards the actual conversation at hand.

“I-I mean… Of course I’m aware,” he said and cleared his throat, whereupon Yuu lifted his gaze off the paper to give him a look that was no doubt curious. Had he noticed?

“I’m just not used to this yet, I guess,” Kouyou added hastily, “I… still tend to… want to treat you like a human.”

“Which I’m not.”

“I know! I know.”

Again their eyes met briefly and over the course of approximately the next two seconds Kouyou was entirely convinced Yuu was going to call him out. The man had been able to sense when he’d merely been  _ upset,  _ there was no way he hadn’t noticed Kouyou’s readiness to  _ jump  _ him for a single drop of that blood he’d laced his whiskey with.  _ Right? _

But he didn’t.

“Don’t worry about it. I appreciate the thought,” he said instead and, just like earlier, emptied his glass with one gulp. Kouyou couldn’t help but wonder if it was actually normal for him to finish his liquor as quickly as he did or if it wasn’t perhaps just another way to avoid having to talk about his feelings. Either way, the topic seemed as good as closed for him. 

“Still.” Yuu folded the newspaper and walked across the room to dispense of it on the couch table, before dragging a palm across the nape of his neck.

“I’d really rather you wouldn’t even begin to treat me like a raw egg,” he sighed, leaning his head back. “Human sentimentalities rarely apply to me.” 

Had it not been for how gravely distracted Kouyou was by sight of Yuu’s back, he would’ve actually laughed at the irony of his statement. At least he had given it a  _ rarely, _ not a  _ never.  _ Considering that Kouyou  _ was, _ however, distracted by how the black dress shirt stretched across Yuu’s back, he only managed a comical grimace without the accompanying laugh. The grimace left him soon enough anyway. The strain of the fabric actually looked like it wasn’t  _ only  _ due to the muscles underneath it. Was Yuu in pain or something? He kept rubbing his fingertips from his shoulder towards his neck, massaging circles across the top of his spine. Kouyou frowned and hopped off the bar chair. 

“You okay?” 

His hand had already reached out by the time Yuu turned to face him. As it turned out, he was correct. If there was one thing the back beneath his fingertips was not, it was relaxed. 

“You’re super tensed up.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re  _ stressed _ , Yuu.”

“I’m always stressed, Kouyou.”

“Well then—” Kouyou huffed at Yuu’s exasperated gaze. “Look. Human sentimentalities might not apply to you, but maybe human remedies will. I can run you a bath? The warmth will help.”

The prince stared at him like he was absolutely horrified at the realization he was being  _ coddled _ . Had he never…? Kouyou could see the cogwheels working behind his eyes, weighing his options as if it was one of those high-significance decisions he probably had to make at court from time to time. To keep up appearances or to let himself be doted on for a minute? An unexpectedly difficult question it seemed; it sure sounded like a hurdle with how heavy a sigh he ended up giving. 

“Fine. Will you let me make one more phone call?” 

Kouyou lowered his eyebrows, snickering at the defeat in Yuu’s voice. 

“Sure thing,” he smiled all sweetly. “One!”

He turned, his fingertips lingering on Yuu's shoulder blade before he made his way to the bathroom. First thing after the door clicked shut behind him, Kouyou sucked in a deep lungful of air. A slither of dizziness still remained at the back of his skull, pounding dully. Thankfully it was no longer scaring the crap out of him; only about as annoying as a dripping tap. 

There was, of course, no sense in denying what it was that had happened to him. Moments he had felt like this before  _ had  _ been few and far between, but the impact they had left… Kouyou would always recognize it. Still, why now of all times? 

He stared at his reflection in the huge circular mirror above the sink. Whether or not he’d expected himself to look different he couldn’t quite tell. It had never gone so far that his fangs would have reacted and it didn’t look or feel like they had this time around either. It didn’t bear contemplating how embarrassing it would’ve been had he actually acted on his impulses…   
_It’s probably just been too long since I last smelled blood that wasn’t my own,_ Kouyou guessed while he scooped a palm of cold water into his mouth, _and that’s why my body pushed the panic button. Add the effect Yuu has on me…_

Another splash against his forehead finally cleared his mind entirely. This was most definitely not something he needed to add to his list of current worries. In fact, seeing how it was literally half of  _ who he was,  _ it  _ had no reason _ to go on the list at all. 

So, clearing his throat like he was berating himself, Kouyou at last lay his focus on the bathtub: A magnificent piece of white-gray marble work set snugly against the glass front that a good three-quarters of the outer wall consisted of. He pushed his sleeves up, opened the faucet and began to rummage through the cabinet beneath the sink. Sadly, looking for a bath supplement that was anywhere close to his liking took about as long as Yuu needed to finish his phone call. Or … not so sadly, depending on how he looked at it. 

Kouyou had just wrapped his fingers around an ampulla of Patchouli oil when the door behind him opened. 

“You really need to upgrade your bath oil collection,” he ranted away instantly, pushing himself to his feet, “it’s a disgrace.” 

“It’s not like I use them a lot. I don’t necessarily  _ need _ them.”

The intention … to retort something … had been there. Truly. Kouyou’s mouth was already opened for the words to come out but… it didn’t quite work. Yuu leaned in the doorway to the kitchen. With his stupid hands on the stupid top button of his  _ stupid black shirt. _ Kouyou wanted to grill him, if only for how damn attractive he looked. It was simply unfair and, even more so, infuriating considering Yuu knew exactly what he was doing. Kouyou rolled his eyes in an attempt to appear unfazed. 

“Just let me do this for you, will you,” he muttered and stepped up to the tub. Adding the correct amount of oil to the bath water was suddenly a very meticulous task that required every last bit of his concentration. Unscrewing the cap, measuring the liquid correctly and pouring it out across the rising water were the easiest things on earth—just not if Yuu’s hands were wandering from button to button in the corner of his eye. 

Kouyou dug his teeth into his bottom lip. His heart was beginning to beat faster again, albeit for an entirely different, more harmless reason. He still tried as calmly as possible to screw the cap back on but there was only so much stalling he could do. Eventually, after he’d even tested the water temperature as if that was necessary  _ at all, _ he had to turn away and place the little bottle back where he’d retrieved it from. And he  _ knew _ what was going to happen but that in no way meant he was prepared for it. Behind him Yuu closed the faucet, his aura sizzling against Kouyou’s back way before he even moved to approach him. Kouyou felt the heat of it, more intense the closer he came. He turned and came face to face with the prince. 

He was  _ close. _

While Kouyou managed to suppress a wince, his reflexes still set it and had him look for something to hold on to. The only thing there was the edge of the sink right behind him and not even that seemed to suffice. 

Yuu’s shirt hung open by now. His eyes narrowed at Kouyou, examining him, but Kouyou’s had already twitched downwards and his throat was now considerably more dry. God damn it. The gaze wandering across his face was just about shoving a blush into his cheeks, too. Yuu hummed softly to himself upon noticing this and his lips curled into a knowing grin.

“I find it fascinating how nervous I make you,” he mused. Well, now Kouyou was definitely blushing. Yuu really had a thing for flexing his hypersensitive senses on him, didn’t he? 

“Well.” Kouyou gulped, pressing impossibly further into the sink in his back. “It’s difficult not to get nervous around you. Take it as a compliment.”

“Oh I do.”

“Good. But I suppose I don’t make you feel the same way.”

At that, the prince chuckled. That had come out a little more poignant than intended, and maybe a bit snappy. Yuu expected no consolidation, though; nor would he even have left Kouyou the time for it. 

“You know, you do, actually,” he flat out admitted before he raised his hand to Kouyou’s cheek. Kouyou’s heart jumped up into his throat and performed a 180° both at the same time. The back of Yuu’s knuckles caressed across his heated skin as light and cool as a feather, the sensation almost mirrored by the shiver that trickled down his spine. What was he  _ doing?  _ Kouyou couldn’t take his glimpse off him. His black hair framed his jaw too perfectly, his eyes were too deep and the curve of his cupid’s bow too sensual to look away. 

“I just cannot act on how I feel yet,” Yuu continued and Kouyou’s breath hitched like it would beneath the first drops of an ice-cold shower, “no matter how bad I might want to.”

_ Why _ was he doing this then? If he could sense and feel and  _ see _ how the mere inches between their faces—how  _ everything about him _ —was driving Kouyou into longing, why could he not allow them both to give in to it?

Upon the realization of what the answer was, Kouyou breathed in a very necessary amount of air; and Yuu’s dark scent with it. Leather… coffee and the smoke of burning wood. Only the air proceeded to leave him in a huff. 

“Because you’re still holding on to an outdated tradition that we already broke.”

Yuu was laughing once more, lowering his hand from Kouyou’s cheek. Kouyou’s heart bounced within his chest at the sound and sight of it. 

“I did tell you they don’t count that,” Yuu berated him gently before combing his fingers through his hair. “I understand your frustration though, trust me.” 

He bent down then, leaning dangerously close past Kouyou while he picked up one of the body towels that lay stacked atop the sink cabinet. Apparently the man was dead set on giving his Ateor a heart attack today. 

_ I hope he’d stop before that happened seeing how he can hear- No, nevermind. _

When Yuu straightened himself again, he had gotten close enough for Kouyou to feel his breath brushing his cheek. Not only that: The kiss planted against it was a sensation so  _ pronounced _ , it gave him chills all the way down to his toes.

“I’d like to say anticipation is half the pleasure,” Yuu added in a whisper and the mere implications of that successfully flustered Kouyou so bad, not a single word made it past his lips even after the prince had long withdrawn. Anti- Anticipation? Yuu was… he was actually looking forward- to...?  **_Oh no._ ** _ Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it. Don’t-  _

Puzzled, Kouyou blinked at the floor.  _ Too late, I’m thinking about it. _

Next time he looked up to the sound of rustling fabric, Yuu’s shirt was halfway down his arms. Tanned, muscular, tattooed arms. It was getting  _ really _ warm now. One of Yuu’s eyebrows rose.

“Are you staying?”

“No!” 

Even  _ The Flash _ would’ve paled compared to how quickly Kouyou brought the biggest possible distance between them. He dashed across the room towards the door leading to the bedroom, not the living area, and only turned to look at Yuu again once it was already opened. 

“I mean… I-I’ll just leave you to relax now,” he stammered with a crimson head and a pounding heart and swiftly embarked on his escape. It was only vaguely perceptible if it was really a  _ Too bad _ he picked out from amongst Yuu’s giggles, but that was, frankly, only a small portion of what occupied Kouyou’s racing mind at the moment.

_ Oh boy, this is gonna be a long two weeks. _

**Author's Note:**

> This was more of a laid-back chapter. A bit of a breather between all the drama in the previous parts and... the full dark-royalty-core bomb that awaits you next time. Hehe. (Watch me take another year for that and that's not even exaggerated lol) Anyway, thank you so much for reading. It would mean so much if you told me what you thought of it! <3


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